MSF short update and statement on Aleppo

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 —

Hi there,

Please see below a short update and statement from MSF on the situation in Aleppo. This information is based on conversations our team in the region have had today with the doctors we support, at distance, who are still in east Aleppo.

Do get in touch if you'd like to speak to one our team

thanks Charlotte

A few medical staff are still working under extreme conditions in east Aleppo. They express deep fears for their immediate future. Medical staff and the patients they care for are protected under International Humanitarian Law.

All negotiations to secure access by the UN and other actors, including MSF, in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the besieged areas of east Aleppo have been unfruitful. In most cases people seem not to have had the chance to flee when and where they wanted. It has been impossible to evacuate patients, resupply hospitals and provide much needed assistance to those trapped in the area. All parties concerned were, and are, responsible for this failure.​

MSF is outraged at the violence exerted against civilians and the passivity displayed by all those that can do something to stop it. MSF calls on all warring parties to abide by their obligation to protect civilians in both the besieged areas and in areas newly taken over by the Syrian government.

In a conflict that has a horrendous record of atrocities against civilians, and echoing the latest UN statement, MSF is extremely worried about the fate of the population.

Teresa Sancristoval, Head of MSF’s Emergency Unit for Aleppo

“This is one of the worst crises MSF has witnessed in years. We remind all sides that even war has rules. It is paramount that all parties allow people to flee to safety, allow the evacuation of sick and wounded, and facilitate the provision of protection and humanitarian assistance to those that are caught on the front lines.”

About MSF UK

This is the press room for MSF UK - the UK office of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an
international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers
emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural
disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based
on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.